Ngày Chủ Nhật, mồng 5 tháng 8 năm 2018, Trần April (Picaroo) đã lên thiên đàng với Mẹ (Trần Thị Huê) và con chó của mình, Trần Bucci (Chì Chì). April là thành viên đạc biệt của gia đình, và mình mời các bạn bấm ở đây để đọc đài kỷ niệm và xem hình ảnh của April. 

Until next time,
Kathy May and Silas

Mời các bạn bấm ở đây để xem đài kỷ niệm của April bằng tiếng Anh (Please click here to read April’s memorial in Vietnamese)

Ngày Chủ Nhật, mồng 5 tháng 8 năm 2018, Trần April (Picaroo) đã lên thiên đàng với Mẹ (Trần Thị Huê) và con chó của mình, Trần Bucci (Chì Chì). April già tuổi, hơn 18 năm, và đã yên giắc nghìn thu trên cánh tay của Tom-Vinh (Tý) và Kathy Mây bên cạnh với biết bao ngậm ngùi. 

Ngày mồng 1 tháng 4 năm 2002, khi Tý nhìn qua cửa sổ xe thấy April, thật là tội nghiệp, run lập cập, nép sát mình vào góc chuồng, nhữ chú chó khác sủa và nhảy vồ vào em, thấy chúng tôi đôi mắt April lóe lên tia hy vọng. Thế là mình liền đến văn phòng để xin đem April về nuôi, thật trùng hợp chủ trước nuôi April vẫ còn ở đó chưa về, họ đưa cho mình những vật dụng của April. Mặc dù lớn tuổi, nhưng không ai quan tâm, săn sóc, giáo dục, em phải sống trong tủ kho nhỏ ở bếp. Những tháng đầu về tinh thần của April không ồn định, thường bị động kinh, khi vuốt ve tóc em rụng rất nhiều. Nhưng April có gen Trần về khá năng phục hồi, nghị lực vươn lên dù gặp phải bất cứ nghịch cảnh nào, em còn là thành viên vui nhất nhà. Vào ngày mồng 1 tháng 4 năm 2002 em đã là thành viên của gia đình, và cái tên April Mẹ gọi em từ đó. 

[Mời các bạn tiếp tục đọc bên dưới.]

April có tính dũng cảm và bảo vệ. Với kinh nghiệm trước đây của gia đình mình với tội phạm, mình rất biết ơn rằng April đã sủa để cảnh báo mình về những ai đến gần nhà. Qua nhiều năm, April là thành viên cần thiết của mỗi chuyến lái xe đi đường. Khi gia đình mình nghèo và phải ngủ trong xe, mình không bao giờ sợ sự an toàn vì April bảo vệ gia đình một cách lố bịch. Việc của April giữ cho gia đình an toan quan trọng nhất mỗi lần April và Mẹ lái xe một mình từ Georgia đến Louisiana, Texas, New York, và Connecticut.

April có tính yêu thương và tận tụy. Mỗi lần mình bước ra khỏi nhà, thì April sẽ kiên nhẫn chờ đợi mình về, và April sẽ háo hức chào đón mình về. Và nếu mình về nhà sau một thời gian lâu, thì April mừng quá là mừng. Khi mình ở nhà thì April không bao giờ ở một mình, vì April lúc nào cũng theo mình từ phòng đến phòng (đặc biệt khi phóng đó là nhà bếp). Luôn luôn April ngồi bên cạnh mẹ khi Mẹ học bài, nấu đồ ăn, làm việc, hay làm nghệ thuật và thủ công. Khi Mẹ bị bệnh, April vẫn còn ở bên cạnh Mẹ, qua mỗi hẹn bác sĩ, hóa trị, và chemo. Mẹ hay nói là khả năng của Mẹ đễ làm phương pháp điều trị là vì April và Bucci hàng ngày giẫn Mẹ đi bộ dài. Mỗi lần đi bộ thì Mẹ và hai con chó sẽ đi mấy kilomet, trong thời gian đó thì Mẹ và hai con chó sẽ đọc kinh thánh từ bộ nhớ. Khi Mẹ qua đời, thì April và Bucci coi trừng Mẹ, giữ cảnh giác bên cạnh Mẹ đến giây phút cuối cùng.

April có tính rất là thông minh. April có thạo nhiều thỉ đoạn, vì dụ ngồi, nằm xuống, bắt tay, đứng lên, nhảy tròn tròn, đến đây, đi ngoài đường, nhảy qua cái vòng, và cầm hai tay lên đễ cầu nguyện. April cũng là chuyên gia trong việc được đồ ăn, xử lý. Mẹ hay nói là bất cứ gì April cũng ăn được. Sau khi Mẹ đã lên thiên đàng và April sống với Tý, thì Tý luôn luôn nấu đồ ằn vừa ngon vừa bổ, và April ăn ngon đặc biệt mỗi ngày.

April có tính đầy năng lượng. Tại nhà Habitat for Humanity của mình, thỉnh thoảng April sẽ chạy ra đường, chạy nhiều vòng đến lúc April mệt quá, rồi April sẽ quàn lại trở về nhà liền. Một lần ở Houston, dây xích của April bị tuộc, rồi em chạy đi khám phá khu chung cư, trong khi Mẹ cố gắn tìm kiếm April. Mẹ lo rất nhiều và quay trở lại nhà để lấy chù khóa xe để tiếp tục tìm April, nhưng Mẹ về thì thấy April đã kiên nhẫn ngồi trước cửa, chờ đợi để đi vào trong nhà.

April có tính hài hước. Mẹ đặc tên nhà là Picaroo. Picaroo có 5 điểm tròn: một trên mỗi tai và mắt trái, hai trên lưng, và một trên đuôi. Mặt và ngườu của April giống như Wishbone, con chó nỗi tiếng trên một chương trình TV. Khi trời lạnh, April sẽ rời rời cái mền gần mặt mình để mình mở mền cho April vào dưới gầm. Mỗi đêm April ngũ với Mẹ, nhưng vào bang ngày và khi Tý trở về nhà, April sẽ ngũ với Tý. Khi April sợ hay mệt mỏi, April kêu Mây bòng April trên hông y hệt như một con em bé. April sợ sấm sét và sẽ bị rung rung mỗi lần trời mưa. April không thích đi tắm những mỗi lần tắm thì April rất ngoan và đứng yên. April không bao giờ rú lên trừ khi April nghe nhạc của chương trình TV gọi là “This Old House.” Mỗi lần lên xe thì chỗ ngồi của April là với người ngồi ghế phía trước, vì April và Buccu khoái nhìn ra cửa sỗ. April yêu thương Mẹ, Tý, Mây, và Bucci hơn bất cứ thứ gì khác trên thế giới.

April rất mừng được lên thiên đàng cùng Mẹ và em Bucci. Mẹ, Picaroo, Chì Chì sẽ tiếp tục theo dõi và chờ đợi sự trở về quê hương của anh Tý và vợ Trâm; chị Mây và chồng Silas và con chó Mimi; và gia đình họ hàng rồng lớn và yêu thương.

Cầu xin Chúa ban phước cho bé Picaroo mãi mãi. Mẹ, Tý, Mây, và Chì Chì yêu thương April rất nhiều, mãi mãi.

Mothers hailing from different cultures on every continent have been “wearing” babies upon their own bodies for centuries. Traditionally, baby-wearing is a convenient and pragmatic method to keep track of little ones, while continuing activities of daily life and maintaining the intimacy of mother and child.

Nowadays in North America, baby-carrying cloths are trendy accessories that are marketed under brands like Moby Wrap, Boba Wrap, and Baby K’Tan. But why limit baby-wearing slings, wraps, and carriers to human babies? We decided to make our own wrap… for our pup Mimi!

The idea actually began during our hikes. Mimi is thrilled to scramble up rocks and down paths but, as every one of our human strides is ten of her Maltese steps (times four paws), she tuckers out! We made our own wrap, so that we can carry Mimi during strenuous portions of the trek. The wrap started out as a silly but actually has turned into a very pragmatic piece of equipment! Here is our incredibly simple and quick project – you can make one too!

 1. Select 2.5y (90”) of cloth. Our choice was a whimsical folk pattern of quirky birds and playful flowers. This is a 100% cotton fabric that is strong enough to support Mimi’s weight. Ffun fact: Her weight is less than that of most newborns! This fabric also has just a little bit of elasticity for our comfort and for hers. Finally, it is  conveniently machine-washable.

2. Cut the cloth length-wise. Most bolts of fabric are either 45” or 60”. If your original bolt is 45” in width, then halve the fabric lengthwise to make two rectangles sized 22.5”x90”; if your bolt is 60” in width, then halve it to make two rectangles sized 30”x90”.

3. Fold and iron the edges of both long sides and one short side of each cloth. This is to prepare the hem of your cloth. Fold the edge of the cloth by less than a centimeter then iron flat. Then, re-fold the edge by less than a centimeter again, and then iron flat.

4. Pin the three folded edges on each piece of cloth and then sew them. Pin the edges that you have ironed flat, so that you may easily sew them. This is the final part of hemming your cloth. You can do this by hand or with a sewing machine. We used the latter, given to us by Kathy May’s mom. We opted for a zig-zag stitch rather than a straight stitch so that it could stretch with the fabric!

5. Join your cloths by creating a flat-felled seam between the two short un-hemmed sides. A flat-felled seam is a strong and durable seam, ideal for our wrap which would endure the stress of supporting a dog and frequent machine washes. It also encases both raw edges for a clean finish. Finally, it is completely flat for our comfort and Mimi’s.

Here is a cross-section schematic of what the flat-felled seam is: 

This short and easy-to-follow video taught us how to create this professional-looking seam.

6. Wrap your dog! There are a number of ways to wrap your dog (or baby) on your chest or on your back, but we have found the easiest is the method recommended by the popular Moby Wrap and Boba Wrap. See our quick how-to video, featuring the one-and-only Mimi! Music credit: “The Printed Word” by David Hilowitz.

As you can see, the doggie wrap is essentially a very long piece of cloth with finished edges! We spent just a few dollars on this project with the purchase of the fabric, rather than spending $50+ on a designer baby wrap! Our doggie wrap can be folded and stashed into our bag, or tied around our waist, only to be whipped out when Mimi starts to tire. From the first use, she loves the doggie wrap! As you can see from the video, she jumps up happily to be placed into the wrap and enjoys being carried. Once she’s inside, she relaxes and enjoys the scenery. We hope that you make one of these adorable and pragmatic wraps for your pup (or maybe your baby)! Let us know what you think in the comments below!

Until next time,
Kathy May and Silas

Arrival at Mount Desert Island

Acadia National Park is located just 4-5 hours north of Boston, in the “Down East” region of Maine. The bulk of its 47 thousand acres sprawls across Mount Desert Island (the rest lies on Isle au Haut and Schoodic Peninsula). Originally named “L’île des Monts Déserts” or “Island of the Bare Mountains” by French explorer Samuel de Champlain in 1604, Mount Desert Island has a modern-day pronunciation that is under much debate. Many Maineiacs retain the French fashion of stressing the second syllable (though with a different tone) and say “de-ZERT” (dəˈzərt), much like the noun of “sweet course eaten at the end of a meal” or the verb of “to abandon, fail, or run away.” Others pronounce it according to the English pronunciation and say “DEH-zert” (ˈdezərt), much like the noun of a “dry and barren area of land”; the latter pronunciation is often used by visitors, too, purely because of the spelling. You’ll find that the border between park grounds and commercial areas are blurred, so you’ll never be too far from creature comforts while at Acadia.

Sunrise over Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse

Ancient glaciers carved out the fjord of Somes Sound which divides Mount Desert Island into two lobes: a popular eastern side drawing over 3 million tourists a year, and a more undisturbed western side often referred to as the “quiet side” of the island. At the southern tip of the quiet side, we awoke in the wee hours and scrambled across the rocky shoreline to relish in the first morning light at the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse. If you learned about “signature” signals of lighthouses from our Nauset Light blog post, you’ll be interested to know that Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse’s signature signal is red light occulting every four seconds (three seconds red; one second off). If you’re a photographer in search of spectacular sunrise snaps, please note that the accessible cliffs are to the east of the lighthouse; therefore, you’ll see the sun rising opposite to the lighthouse not over it. A more iconic Acadian sunrise may be Cadillac Mountain (later in this post) though you’ll have to share it with considerably more visitors than at Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse. 

Ship Harbor Trail on the Quiet Side of Mount Desert Island

Also on the quiet side of MDI, we stumbled upon a fantastic 1.3 mile trail that was a real gem. The Ship Harbor Trail was a pleasant, easy, fairly level walk (even Mimi could do it; see video below) that took us through rapid changes in scenery, from roadside through pine forest, suddenly opening up into a peaceful cove of pink granite, and then to rocky coastline and the wide open blue ocean. Along the way, every section had a great deal to explore, including lush vegetation and wildlife, tide pools in the granite crevices, and panoramic vistas of trees, rocks, and water, in an intimate setting. As an alternative, you may also choose to add on the Wonderland Trail to the same trek; it is an equally easy hike of similar distance that is just half a mile east of the Ship Harbor Trail with similar views and terrain. 

Dramatic Coastline of Ocean Path Trail Along Park Loop Road

The Park Loop Road is a one-way 27-mile drive on the east side of MDI where tourists oftentimes begin their adventures in Acadia. If you do not have a car, the National Park Service provides a free shuttle called Island Explorer which operates seasonally. Regardless, you should get out of the car and take advantage of the stunning Ocean Path, which runs alongside the eastern part of the loop. It is easy to see why Ocean Path is Acadia’s most iconic trail, as it provides a sampling of the diverse terrain of the northeast, from its playful beaches to fearsome rocky cliffs to shady forests to scenic mountains. Expect to spend a disproportionately large amount of time to cover just 2 miles of trail. You’ll find yourself exploring the nooks and crannies of the points of interest, including Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, Monument Cove, Otter Cliff, and numerous lookouts along the way.

Glacier-Carved Landscape at Jordan Pond

Jordan Pond is a tarn, or a mountain lake that is formed as a glacier melts, with exceptional visibility as deep as 60 feet! The glacier whose pristine water now fills Jordan Pond and also supplies fresh water to the village of Seal Harbor was the Wisconsin Ice Sheet from approximately 2.6 million to 11,700 years ago. Historically, Acadia was a beloved summer retreat for the likes of the Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, Morgans, Fords, Astors, and Carnegies, and Jordan Pond was the central location at which they reportedly relished the view of the North and South Bubbles, two humps of mountains with many popular hiking trails.

Sunset on Cadillac Mountain

At 1,530 feet, Cadillac Mountain is not only the tallest mountain in Acadia, but also it is the tallest mountain along the American Atlantic coast (the tallest peak of all the Atlantic coast is in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). From here, one may view the first sunrise in the continental USA (as a technicality, this only occurs because the horizon may be viewed earlier from the elevation of Cadillac Mountain; the easternmost point in the continental USA to view the first sunrise is in Lubec, Maine; if you want to get more technical, then it’s at Semisopochnoi Island, Alaska, which is west of the 180-degree meridian). Alas we did not see the sun rising over Cadillac Mountain, but we did enjoy the 360-degree panoramic vistas from the summit at sunset. The mountain itself is fascinating, formed by upward forces of volcanic and tectonic plates colliding, then sheared by monstrous glaciers, leaving behind deep gouges in pink granite and a rounded peak. Note that this location in Acadia is incredibly popular and budget more time than expected to travel and find parking along the 3.5-mile Summit Road.  If you are not traveling by car, know that the free shuttle buses stop at the North Ridge Trail but do not go to the top of Cadillac Mountain. From that trail head, you can either hike or take one of two private buses with narrated tours.

All in all, we had a splendid adventure at Acadia National Park and we look forward to experiencing it during different seasons in the future! Please stay tuned to our blog as we visit other national parks, monuments, historical sites, and more. Our past leaders have compassionately led the protection and preservation of treasures within the National Parks Service and, with current events, we are saddened that many of these sites are now at risk. We’ll leave you with a quote by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in hopes that you’ll support the National Parks Service and what they mean to our country:

“There is nothing so American as our national parks…. The fundamental idea behind the parks…is that the country belongs to the people.”

Until next time,
Kathy May and Silas

References:
National Parks Service
Acadia Magic by Greg Hartford
Joe’s Guide to Acadia National Park

Mimi is a happy, peppy pup and the theme we chose was equally fun and playful. For the basics of the main design elements, we used pre-made vector files of a simple house from clker and anthromorphized flowers from freepik.  There are innumerable free vectors available online, and a large advantage of vector art is that they can be imported into Adobe Illustrator to save a great deal of time in the design stage. 

That being said, there was still a great deal of legwork to be done to modify the vector art into Mimi’s design (don’t worry, we won’t go into the nitty gritty in this post). In addition to tweaking the vector art, we also added other details including Mimi’s name to customize the design. After finalizing the design, we prepared the Illustrator file for the laser cutter. The instructions for the laser cutter – engrave, line, cut, etc. – are communicated via color. In this image, for example, cyan commands “vector cut”; navy blue commands “vector line”; and black, royal blue, and red command variable depths of “engrave.”

Next, we were off to Boston Makers, the non-profit makerspace in Jamaica Plains where we volunteer! Its laser cutter, 3D printers, and more are open to the community – let us know if you’re interested in dropping by! We imported our Adobe Illustrator file into Corel DRAW, which is the program the laser cutter utilizes to translate color (as above) to command. We selected 1/4” birch plywood for Mimi’s door. Here are a couple of 30-second videos of the laser cutter at work:

After cutting and engraving, we sanded the door to remove smoke stains from the laser cutting process. To prepare it for the outdoors, we sprayed it with two coats of Thompson’s WaterSeal Waterproofing Wood Protector. While at Boston Makers, we devised a way to mount Mimi’s door onto the balcony. Our solution was to design and 3D-print two C-hooks that would clamp the door to the bottom horizontal rung of the balcony. Here is a clip of the LulzBot as it is 3D-printing our C-hooks:

Back at home, we cut a Mimi-sized peephole from the wind barrier panel and slid the top of the house under the barrier’s fastener. The bottom of the house is held in place with the 3D-printed C-hooks. Here’s the final construction!

Mimi loves her new doggie door! She is again able to enjoy her view of the city below and to get a nice whiff of fresh air at her leisure! Click on the gallery images below to see some snapshots of her enjoying the balcony. By the way, we loved her door so much that we laser-cut a second copy to paint and display indoors. A picture of that is included in the gallery too!

Until next time,
Kathy May and Silas

Mời các bạn bấm ở đây để xem đài kỷ niệm của April bằng tiếng Việt (Please click here to read April’s memorial in Vietnamese)

Early on Sunday, August 5, 2018, our dearest April Trần, also known as Picaroo, gladly went to heaven to join our mother, Huê Thị Trần (Mẹ), and our other beloved pup, Bucci Trần (Chi Chi). She passed away peacefully in the arms of Tom-Vinh Trần (Tý) with Kathy Mây Trần by her side, at the elder age of at least 18.

• Click here to read Kathy May’s article on KevinMD.com
  

• Click here to read Kathy May’s article on Mogul

– Silas

Click here to view this article published on MOGUL, an online publishing platform for women.

Click here to view this article published on KevinMD.com, a health blog for physicians about all things medical.

Friday was Match Day.

At 12 noon EST, medical students all over the United States simultaneously opened envelopes which revealed the destination of their residency training. The tradition is an exhilarating and emotional event for everyone involved. For medical students, it is a milestone that symbolizes a dramatic life change and a new adventure. It marks the culmination of years of hard work, the end of one thing and the beginning of another. For me, Match Day was an opportunity to reflect upon the difficulty of my medical school years and how those struggles changed my professional and personal life for the better.

My medical school years have undoubtedly been the most challenging ones of my entire life. There were long and endless hours of studying, filled with facts and jargon and medications and algorithms. There was self-imposed pressure not only to memorize but also, more importantly, to understand the pathophysiology of disease. There were exhausting days and nights in the hospital. All of that was difficult, but none of that was the hardest part.

During medical school, I came to understand the true meaning of responsibility and sadness that all adults – health professional or not – must eventually endure. I am not referring to the responsibility of paying tuition bills on time or the disappointment of not acing Step 1, but I mean the deep commitment and intimate concern we have for those dear to us. Part of this came with the realization as a medical student that one day the entire well-being of a person would be subject to my own medical knowledge and decision-making. Most of it was the actual experience of losing people who I cared for, on both sides of the doctor-patient relationship.

I had my first exposure to critical illness, the dying process, and finally death while working on the inpatient wards. I tried to be as objective, rational, and data-driven as a diligent physician-in-training could be, but I was wholly unprepared for the emotional toll that the loss of patients took on me. The first was a gentle, kind lady with whom I bonded despite an enormous language barrier between us. Our medical team made the diagnosis of a rare gynecologic cancer. I studied and learned the expected course of the disease; however, I could not fathom just how close a person could be to death even though we smiled in conversation via the translator phone each day. Just over a week later, she passed away. At first, I was in shock; by evening, I was hidden in a corner of the house staff workroom, alone in tears, mourning a beautiful soul that passed to the other side.

Since then, I have participated in the care of a number of patients who, despite the most optimal care and the most valiant efforts, have died. Every single one has impacted me. However, death burdened not only my academic life but also my personal life. At the beginning of medical school, I lost my uncle, whose son was also a medical student, to lung cancer. Soon after I lost my aunt to hemorrhagic stroke. My world came to a screeching halt when my own mom, my unconditional supporter, my strongest rock, and my greatest inspiration, passed away from colon cancer. I took a leave of absence so that I could share more precious moments with her in her last months. During that extra year, I also lost my dear friend, a young, charismatic person taken too soon by amyloidosis only seven weeks after we celebrated her wedding. I thought the heartache was over – at least for these five years of school – when our beloved family dog passed away unexpectedly just five days before Match Day.

Other doctors and student doctors are not immune to heartbreak. While in medical school, I have witnessed and shared in their grief of losing patients and loved ones. My husband lost his uncle, whose daughter was also a medical student. My best friend lost her dad. We were studying for a cardiology exam at his bedside when it happened. Another friend also lost her dad only last week. His spirit watched over her proudly at Match Day, as she opened her envelope and learned that she had successfully matched into residency.

More than anything I’ve read in a textbook or heard during rounds, it is the intense personal losses during medical school that have contributed to my truly comprehending and absorbing the profound privilege it is to care for a panel of patients, each of whom is the center of someone’s life, just as my mom was the absolute center of mine and my friends’ fathers were the centers of theirs. In our personal lives, we medical professionals have focused our energy on caring for our own loved ones. Now in our careers, we care for an entire panel of someone else’s loved ones on a daily basis. Whether the situation is dire or not, we see our loved ones in the faces of our patients; we see ourselves in the faces of our patients’ families.

Sorrow is an inevitable part of life. My medical school years have shown me that death is not something I can escape in my profession and that I as an earthly doctor cannot fix every problem. Instead I can only strive to be a physician who cures sometimes, treats often, and comfort always. I can only hope to make an impact on every patient, whether that is improvement of symptoms, stability of health, or even peace in death.

At Match Day, I could see the end of my medical school years approaching and the next step of residency coming into focus. At my side was my husband; in my hands was a photograph of what was dearest to me – my mom, my brother, our dogs, our home. I looked at this two-dimensional representation of the blessings in my life, and my heart ached as I thought about how difficult medical school has been and how much has changed since I and others have lost loved ones. At the same time, I was comforted as I reflected upon their impact on me and many others, a legacy that extends far beyond their living and breathing and being on earth. The lives they lived inspire my life, my actions, and my work; caring for them at the end of their journeys shaped my growth as a person and as a doctor. I closed my eyes and dedicated my career to serving others in their memory. Then I opened my envelope, ready for the years that lie ahead.

Bucci and her daughter, Lola, were strays who began following my brother, Tom-Vinh, in the summer of 2011. They were there when he drove home, followed him to the porch, and then waited for him to come out again day after day. They were so friendly and unafraid of Tom that he couldn’t bear to leave them outside. Our family adopted these kind-hearted doggies and Tom named them Bucci and Lola.

While Lola was a rambunctious, playful, and sometimes unknowingly selfish puppy, Bucci was a protective mom. She would watch over Lola as she ate and then waited patiently for Lola had her fill. Only then would she begin to partake in food. They loved to curl up alongside one another. Lola was extremely keen. She would listen and watch the TV, cocking her head back and forth with her ears perked. One day, my mom was sorting out a large box of pens, making a pile of those to discard. After some time, she confusedly remarked that the her pile was smaller than expected. We looked around the room and saw another pile of pens across the room. Lola was taking the pens, one by one, from my mom’s discard pile to make a little pile of her own!

At first, Bucci and Lola were not used to house-dog life and explored outside often, always returning home after getting their fill of running. When they did not come back one day, Tom searched everywhere. A few days later, the pound called to say that two dogs were found matching Tom’s description. Devastatingly, by the time he got there, Lola had escaped again. Bucci came home.

Bucci immediately became an integral part of our family. Everyone loved Bucci! Whenever we would look at or call to her, her big eyes would gaze up with her gigantic black eyes and tail would wag so happily and vigorously that the entire bottom half of her body would go back and forth, even lifting her back legs off of the floor. In fact, my mom refrained from teaching her to shake hands because we did not want her to confuse “shake hands” with her “shake, shake, shake.” She was so cute! If there ever were a dog who showed unconditional love, it was Bucci. You could take food out of her mouth, move her around and around while she slept, dress her up in clothes and, in return, she would only give you more and more love.

More than food, treats, toys, or walks, Bucci valued spending time with Ty. She loved him the most of anyone else and insisted on staying at his side at all times. If he was at the table, she was on his lap. If he was doing woodworking, she was in the grass watching. If  he was sleeping, she would curl up right next to him or even sit on his belly or his back as he slumbered. They were perfect together and Ty spoiled her with love and affection. He gave her everything she could ever ask for. Her favorite was a set of toy foxes which she would collect from around the house into a pile. Then, she would pick one out of the pile and squeak it.

My mom (Me) loved Bucci and incredible lot and truly enjoyed her good nature and company. Me nicknamed her “Chi Chi.” She especially liked the black hoodie sweatshirt that Ty got for Bucci, because Bucci looked like a little dog monk whenever she wore it. Tom realized how attached my mom was to Bucci so he brought Bucci to live with her and April when she became ill. They were her best company as she studied the Bible, cooked, and did arts and crafts. Every day, Me took April and Bucci on long walks for miles and miles. It was an activity of their daily routine that all three of them looked forward to immensely.

Bucci lived out the rest of her life contently in Georgia with April and Ty, where she had a large yard to run around, lots of healthy and homemade food, and Ty’s company, which she treasured more than anything. She was her happy, enthusiastic, adorable self until March 13, 2016, when she passed away unexpectedly but peacefully in her sleep. It is unspeakably devastating to lose a family member who we love so incredibly dearly. We miss her. However, we know that Bucci has rejoined Me in heaven and that Me is undoubtedly very content to be reunited with Bucci’s good nature. We love you forever, Chi Chi.

Please take a look at some of my favorite photos and memories of our beloved Bucci:

[See image gallery at www.kathymayandsilas.com]

Here is Bucci hiding under the covers:

Here is Bucci keeping Ty company while he’s playing the banjo: